


Dog Day Afternoon

by HYPERFocused



Category: Sports Night
Genre: Dogs, Families of Choice, M/M, Parents & Children, Pets
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2008-01-20
Updated: 2008-01-20
Packaged: 2017-11-29 02:18:01
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 994
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/681584
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HYPERFocused/pseuds/HYPERFocused
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>A/N: Belated <span class="ljuser i-ljuser"><a href="http://sn-holidays.livejournal.com/profile"><img class="i-ljuser-userhead"/></a><a class="i-ljuser-username" href="http://sn-holidays.livejournal.com/"><b>sn_holidays</b></a></span> Fic for <span class="ljuser i-ljuser"><a href="http://laylee.livejournal.com/profile"><img class="i-ljuser-userhead"/></a><a class="i-ljuser-username" href="http://laylee.livejournal.com/"><b>laylee</b></a></span>. Thanks to <span class="ljuser i-ljuser"><a href="http://phoebesmum.livejournal.com/profile"><img class="i-ljuser-userhead"/></a><a class="i-ljuser-username" href="http://phoebesmum.livejournal.com/"><b>phoebesmum</b></a></span> for pinch hitting. Also for <span class="ljuser i-ljuser"></span><a href="http://picfor1000.livejournal.com/profile"><img class="i-ljuser-userhead"/></a><a class="i-ljuser-username" href="http://picfor1000.livejournal.com/"></a><b>picfor1000</b></p>
    </blockquote>





	Dog Day Afternoon

**Author's Note:**

> A/N: Belated [](http://sn-holidays.livejournal.com/profile)[**sn_holidays**](http://sn-holidays.livejournal.com/) Fic for [](http://laylee.livejournal.com/profile)[**laylee**](http://laylee.livejournal.com/). Thanks to [](http://phoebesmum.livejournal.com/profile)[**phoebesmum**](http://phoebesmum.livejournal.com/) for pinch hitting. Also for [](http://picfor1000.livejournal.com/profile)[](http://picfor1000.livejournal.com/)**picfor1000**

"Dan, why is your coat whining?" Natalie asked him when he came in to the studio, his overcoat covering a small, wriggling mass. She looked at him suspiciously. "And you don't want to know what you smell like."

"Could it possibly be 'Eau de Benji'?" Casey asked, following Dan. He was carrying a cardboard pet carrier, which went quite far in explaining the smell. The squirming tan and white ball of fluff that poked its head out from under Dan's arm went even further.

"Aww!" Kim squealed, in that tone that seemed to mean "My ovaries have been kicked into gear, and now I must reproduce." Casey never imagined her so maternal. He valued his life way too much to tell her that.

"You know, most people just write checks. Not Danny. First, you feed an actual knife wielding, disturbed homeless guy..."

"Which he used to cut his sandwich, to share with me."

"It was a switchblade. Not a butter knife."

"He probably kept his Oneida in his _other_ cardboard box."

"And today," Casey continued, "we do an animal shelter PSA, and you come out of it minus a sizeable donation, and plus one mutt."

"He's not a mutt. He's a Shih Tzu." Dan corrected.

"He's adorable, Danny, but kind of impractical for you. What were you thinking?" Natalie asked.

"Oh. it's not Dan's dog. Tell them what you were thinking."

"It's for Charlie. You know he's been begging for one for years now." Dan did a credible imitation of a wheedling little boy. "'Uncle Danny, can you get my dad to tell my mom I'll take good care of it,and take it for walks,and feed it?.' I'm powerless to resist the call of the McCall"

"You know, there'll really be a Shit Zoo when Lisa hears about this," Dana said.

"It'll be fine." Casey said, hoping it was true.

"I told Casey to say it was my idea. She hates me already."

"She doesn't hate you."Casey protested.

" _Right_. Anyway, she'll be pissed at me, and when you call her on her needless jealousy, she'll let Charlie keep the dog so she won't seem unreasonable."

You're diabolical. You know that, don't you?" Casey's hand absently stroking the little dog's fur belied his words. "An evil genius."

"I'll grant you the genius," Dan said. "But every kid deserves a dog. Besides, Charlie's old enough to take care of it."

"Okay, geniuses, and I use that word completely ironically, I'll have you know, go write your show. And if Cotton Ball here tries anything funny, it better be in Sally's office." Dana shooed them off. "Oh, and no jokes about 'going to the dogs.'"

"So, seriously... why didn't you ever get a dog?" Dan asked, looking up from his computer later.

"I had my own pet Rydell."

"Quips like that make me wonder how you were ever offered the Conan gig."

"Lisa and I talked about it back when Charlie was in his 101 Dalmatians phase, but it never seemed to work out."

"Let me guess. Cruella DeCall decided her nice white carpets were worth more than her kid having a pet."

"Ecru."

"What?"

"The carpets were 'ecru.'"

"Isn't that pretty much white? And since when do you know 'Ecru?'"

"Since Lisa made me go to five different stores for rugs I could barely tell apart."

"Rugs can be moved. You had wall to wall carpet. I remember. I was afraid Lisa would mace me if I messed up her vacuum lines when I came over."

"Thanks for the information, Mr. Empire Carpet Man."

"I hate you, Casey." Dan sang the well known jingle under his breath, and Casey mentally high fived himself for passing on that ear worm.. "I'm not sure I'll ever get '588 2300' out of my head."

"I have great sympathy for Windy City TV viewers." Actually, Casey really liked Chicago. A blizzard canceled conference, an unexpectedly cozy shared hotel room, thanks to the over crowding, made for a really good weekend. They'd lived on room service pizza, and finally hashed out what they wanted from their "more than friendship". It wasn't a professionally productive trip, but the time was most definitely not wasted.

The shelter had given them a small bag of dog chow, but they still had more supplies to get for the as yet unnamed animal. "Don't name him, Casey. You'll just come up with something clever, and be disappointed when Charlie wants to call him "Buddy" or "Max."

"My son has writer genes, too.No way he'd name his dog "Max."

"What did you name your dog when you were a kid?"

"Sam."

"I rest my case. And now I understand why you never told me that."

Casey smiled ruefully, and put an arm around Dan's shoulder in what could have been just a friendly gesture." You know what I like about New York?'

"What? And don't think I didn't catch you changing the subject."

"That you can find a store to sell you a collar and leash in the middle of the night."

"Handcuffs and butt plugs, too."

"Danny!" Casey blushed at that. God, sometimes Dan just _said_ things... "I do _not_ want to think about sex in connection with my son and his dog!"

"Funny, you always make me want to think about sex."

"Yes, well...we'll have to be circumspect when Charlie's here this weekend."

"I've reigned it in since we first met. I think I can handle it."

Dan was right about Lisa's reaction when Casey called to feel her out. "Fine, Casey. Well try it, but you'll be the one telling Charlie if this doesn't work."

"I know. But it'll work."

"Go ahead, Danny."

Dan handed him the box where the dog lay sleeping. "Here, from your dad and me."

"Oh! Oh! Really? Are you sure? He's mine to keep? Not just for here?"

"He's all yours, kiddo." Casey bent to hug his son, Dan's hand warm on his back.


End file.
